Page 80 of Primal Bonds

“Yeah.” Jace didn’t even argue that Evie wasn’t “his.” Because she was.

“Beau’s under orders to stick with you for the next few days. I don’t want you going anywhere alone until we find the bastard—got it?”

“Damn it, Ric, I don’t need a fucking babysitter. I took on Corban and his little friend, remember?”

“Humor me,” his friend drawled. “If nothing else, it’s safer for Evie and Kyler.”

“Fine.” Jace dropped his head back against the wall. “Get some sleep. I’ll report in later.” He ended the call.

Fear crawled up his spine. Because now that he was wide awake and not stupid from sex, he realized that mating with Evie increased the chance that Corban would go after her. Tyrus, too. Jace’s stomach bottomed out at how difficult it would be to keep her safe. That brother of hers as well.

Claws pricked his fingertips. Inside, his animal gave a jaguar-roar, ready to take on the world for its mate.

Evie appeared in the hall, dressed in the striped sleepshirt. It was so old it was practically see-through in places.

The roar faded. A word came through loud and clear. Mine.

And he would die to protect her.

“Morning.” She gave a stretch that had the shirt riding up until he could see the notch at the top of her thighs. “Is it okay if I take a shower?”

He swallowed hard and for a few seconds, forgot all about Corban and Tyrus.

“Sure,” he managed to say. “Towels are on the shelf.” He ran a proprietary hand down her hip and tried not to stare at where the threadbare material clung to the hard points of her nipples. “I’ll get breakfast started.”

“Thanks.” She came onto her toes and kissed him.

He watched as she slipped past him. That shirt barely covered her ass. Damn, he wanted to follow her into the bathroom, bend her over the jacuzzi, and—

He heard Kyler moving in his bedroom and pulled himself up short.

Shower. And breakfast.

And that shower was going to have to be alone. He muttered a curse and headed down the hall to the other bathroom.

Chapter 23

When Evie emerged from the bathroom, the den smelled of breakfast.

A couple of fae lights trailed her to the kitchen. Jace was at the stove, barefoot and shirtless, a pair of shorts hanging low on his hips and a shaft of sunlight illuminating gleaming brown shoulders. Fried ham sizzled in a skillet while he cracked eggs into a bowl. As he beat the eggs into a yellow froth, the muscles under his jaguar tattoo flexed so the cat appeared almost alive.

Heat curled through her. It was insane. She’d just had sex with the man, and already she wanted him again.

Kyler had his back to her, taking plates from the cupboard, and Tigger was supervising from a perch on a kitchen stool. On the counter, an old-fashioned French press was slowly filling with coffee.

Jace poured the eggs into a second skillet. He and Kyler were talking something over in a serious tone. Evie paused, not wanting to interrupt. Jace was good with her brother, treating him like he was an adult, and Kyler was eating it up. She felt a pang of guilt—Kyler needed an adult male in his life.

Not your fault, she told herself. But she ached for her brother.

“You have to step up,” Jace said as he added red bell peppers, cheese, and chunks of ham to the skillet. “Your sister needs you. You’re not a kid anymore.”

Whoa. They were talking about her? She frowned, not sure how she felt about that.

“You think I don’t know that?” Kyler set three plates on the sturdy plank table. “I’ve been working my ass off to get a job, but no one wants to hire a sixteen-year-old.”

“Maybe the clan can find you some work.”

Kyler’s face lit up. “Seriously?”

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